[Année]

FACULTY OF
HYDROCARBONS and
CHEMSTRY

GEOPHYSIQUE

Manual for use by geologists, geophysicists and

producers

Interpretation of well imaging by electrical

logging

Par Mr BAOUCHE RAFIK

(Maître de Conférence – Dpt de géophysique
 Manual for use by geologists, geophysicists and
producers

Interpretation of well imaging by electrical

logging

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

 MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY of BOUMERDES

Interpretation of well imaging by electrical

logging

by Mr BAOUCHE RAFIK
(Maître de Conférence – Dpt de géophysique)

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

 BOUMERDES : 15/01/2018

Summary

I. Presentation of the interpretation of imagery …………………………………………….…………..4

II. Interpretation of the structural dip …….………………………………………………………………….5

III. Sedimentological interpretation of the dip.................…………………………………….….….13
IV. Clastics Environnements ….………………………………………………………….……………………23
V. Carbonated environment ….……………………………………………………………………….…….…35
VI. Thin Bed Analysis………………..………………………………………………………….………………….39
VII. Reservoir Heterogeneity………………………………………………..…………………………………40
VIII. Mechanical parameters ……………….…………………………………….………………..…………..…45
IX. Stereographic projections …………….………………………………………………………….….………49
X. The stick plots…………..………………………………………………………………………………..…..…61

XI. Azimuth Rose…….………………………………….……………………………..………..………..………..65

XII. Breakout Plots……..………………………………………………………………………..………..…………70
XIII.Perspective of Break out ……………………………………………………………..……………….…..75
XIV. Rose Breakout……………………………………………………………………………………………...……79
XV. Bibliography

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

 Imagelog Interpretation Overview
Up to this point we have focused on the computation of formation dips from resistivity and
acoustic images. Initially the primary use for the dipmeter tools focused on structural dip
computation from one borehole rather than three boreholes .Dips are also used to define
Sedimentologic features and this application became reality upon the advent of correlation
techniques using computers in the early 1960’s.
The advent of resistivity imaging tools in the late 1970’s early 1980’s produced data that
provided a much more detailed picture of the borehole wall. Integration with cores and direct
comparison became a realistic approach. The amount of information acquired in the borehole
for dip and Imagelog Interpretation today allows the following categories of interpretation to
be done:

• Structural Dip Interpretation: determine the following information from Structural Dip
Analysis:
o Dip Magnitude
o Structural Type
o Fracture orientation and type
o Fault/Fracture Plunge
o Stress Regime orientation
o Sedimentologic Dip Interpretation: remove the structural dip to help determine the
following information:
o Sand Body Morphology
o Paleocurrent inference
o Depositional Environment
o Thin Bed porosity/permeability characterisation
o Clastic Environments: Imagelog Interpretation features in Clastic Environments
o Carbonate Environments: Imagelog Interpretation features in Carbonate Environments
o Thin Bed Analysis: High Resolution determination of petrophysical properties in
conjunction with standard resolution logs
o Reservoir Heterogeneity: Carbonate Rock Fabric properties
o Borehole Mechanics: Sanding Analysis, Borehole breakout and stability

In order to usefully apply image data to the above problems, the interpretation involves use of
techniques which involve auxiliary plots that can be generated from the dip data either
manually picked or automatically generated. If manually picked data is used, the features
picked can be distinguished based on lithology, dip magnitude, feature character and observed
dip trends. When utilizing Petrolog we can generate the following useful graphics objects:

• Stereonets: Wulff, Schmidt and Walkout plots

• Stick Plots:
• Azimuth Rose:
• Breakout Plots
• Breakout Perspective
• Breakout Rose
Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche
These plots are designed to present spatial information in 2 dimensions and in a format that
allows relationships to be readily determined and related to the geologic environment.

Imagelog Interpretation: Structural Dip

Interpretation
Structural dip is defined as a regional dip trend which describes the attitude of a particular
formation in the crust. It is generally represented by the dip in shales and is usually inferred
from intervals of consistent dip that are of such a length that reasonably defines the regional
trend. Before any Paleocurrent work can be undertaken, structural dip needs to be determined
and removed. An example of structural dip is illustrated in the following figure 1

Figure 1

These structural dips can be plotted as stick plots and when plotted in time can give a realistic
comparison with seismic. This has application in assessing accuracy of time to depth
conversion. Velocity field estimation etc. An example of the comparison is illustrated in
figure 2

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

 Figure 2

Figure 2 shows a stick plot presentation next to a seismic plot.

Faulting within an interval can be identified on an image as a discordant break or change in

formation type. On single button dip resistivity data, the presence of a fault was inferred from
deformation envelopes surrounding the actual fault or fault zone. A deformation envelope is
local ductile deformation associated with the fault or fault drag. The fault drag usually
presents itself as increasing then decreasing dip magnitude as illustrated in figure 3.

Figure 3

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

Figure 3 is a typical fault drag and the resultant dip pattern on the right. See Fundamentals of
Dip Log Analysis Atlas Wireline Services Western Atlas (Bigelow, 1987)

If the pole to the plane of these dips is plotted on an equal area lower hemisphere stereonet
they will describe a great circle. The pole to the plane of the great circle describes the plunge
of the fold or the orientation of the fold.

The drag may be produced on either the foot wall or the hanging wall or both.

The amount of detail present in the images available today permits identification of faults that
are down to the centimeter scale. The examples in figure 4 show faults that do not have a
deformation envelope but have juxtaposed discordant bedding:

Figure 4

Figure 4 are Images showing small scale faulting (both images cover a 2 Meter Interval)

Fractures identification is also an important part of structural analysis and can define
important structural trends related to porosity and the structural style of the field. By
identifying fracture frequency and the average dip, the true spacing can be determined. The
distribution of fractures can have a marked affect on the productibility and the ultimate
recovery of a reservoir. The orientation of fractures in space can assist in describing the
structural style of a particular reservoir. The example illustrated in Figure 5 shows fractures
(blue and green picks) occurring at or near what could be considered to be a fault zone. A
distinct conjugate set is defined by these fractures with a Northwest and Southeast dip
direction orientation.

These fractures can be used to define the true fracture spacing not the fracture spacing as
illustrated on the plot. The methodology for doing this is illustrated in figure 6.

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

 Figure 5

Figure 5 shows fractures illustrating a conjugate set.

Figure 6

Figure 6 gives the equation used in the determination of true fracture spacing

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

The deformation associated with faults and also with folds can be used to define the fold. By
plotting the dips on a equal area lower hemisphere stereonet as poles to plane of the dips
permits the use of the spherical geometric properties of the stereonet to identify fold axis and
plunge. These fold geometries are illustrated in figure 7.

Figure 7

Figure 7 illustrates fold identification from an unknown reference.

Geometrically, a fold should have a dip arrangement that creates great circles that intersect at
the plunge. Because this is confusing, the approach usually taken is to plot the poles and see if
the dips create a shape that represents a great circle. Various examples are shown in the above
stereonets.

Bengston (1981) introduced a statistical technique that is now abbreviated SCAT. It

essentially takes the dips and constructs transverse and longitudinal sections oriented along
structure and down dip from structure. The transverse section is oriented in the dip direction
where the greatest cluster of dip magnitude exists. His figures on the next pages illustrate
how the dips are presented.

Rather than just computing the apparent dip, the technique relies on computation of the
variance of the dip from the longitudinal and transverse directions. The fold or fault type can
be distinguished through different patterns. These patterns also permit the definition of
anticline, syncline and throw orientation on the fault.

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

A great circle is constructed on a stereonet as follows. Rotate the stereonet so that the strike
(dip direction -90 Deg) of the dip is at 0 degrees or North point. The dip magnitude is counted
in from the edge on the right hand (East) side of the Stereonet. The pole is plotted as a point
90 degrees away. That is you count out from the centre on the west side of the plot the dip
magnitude whilst keeping the net in this orientation.

Ref Bengston., Statistical Curvature Analysis Techniques for Structural Interpretation of

Dipmeter Data, AAPG Bulletin, V. 65, 1981,PP 312-332

Figure 8

Figure 8 shows the different scatter patterns for different tectonic settings.

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche

 Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 9 and 10: Bengston (1981) Scatter patterns for different tectonic settings.

Electrical Imaging Logging Brochure Dr Rafik Baouche